Joan Marie Connolly passed away peacefully at home as she wished on Saturday, August 22, 2020. She was born on October 2, 1935 to Mary and Stephen Grescak. A lifelong Greenwich resident, Joan graduated from Greenwich High School in 1953. She met the love of her life, Leroy Connolly, in 1960. He was willing to do just about anything to get close to her, including washing dishes at the family’s local luncheonette- Mary and Steve’s! They married on February 4, 1961 during a massive snowstorm. Their marriage lasted 55 years until his death in 2016. Joan was a homemaker while her children were very young, but joined the workforce once they were in school full-time. She spent many years working at Chancy D’elia on Greenwich Avenue. She found that she enjoyed retail sales very much and spent many years thereafter at Lord and Taylor where she built up quite a clientele and was proud to be named a “Diamond Star” at the store. Joan was a member of Innis Arden Golf Club and St. Catherine of Siena church. In recent years, she particularly loved getting together with schoolmates at the Western Greenwich AARP meetings. Over the years, Joan volunteered for Cos Cob School, Rummage Room, Nathanial Witherell and the Cos Cob Library. She enjoyed golf, bowling, reading, crossword puzzles, gardening, and lawn bowls. You could always tell what holiday was approaching by the decorations in her home and she loved nothing more than spending time with her family. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. Joan is survived by her three children: Claire Crocco, Carolyn Hocter and Tom Connolly and his wife, PJ; and eight grandchildren: Jake Crocco and his wife, Victoria, Kyle, and Emma Crocco; Nicolette, Callie and Jameson Hocter; and Spencer and Tucker Connolly. Her sister, Janet Clark and niece Stephanie Finch, her husband, Doug and grandniece Cameron also survive her. Joan was the epitome of kindness and the word “nice” always topped the list of adjectives that people used to describe her. She will be missed terribly by all who loved her. A memorial service in her honor will be held at a later date when her devoted family can gather together. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of one’s choice and, perhaps, perform a random act of kindness in her name.
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